Information processing method and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

ABSTRACT

A server device includes an identification information obtaining unit, a position information specifying unit, a storage unit, a percentage calculating unit, and a fare calculating unit. The identification information obtaining unit obtains operation identification information for identifying an operation of a vehicle and user identification information for identifying users who utilize the operation. The position information specifying unit specifies riding position information and drop off position information on the individual users. The storage unit stores the operation identification information, the user identification information, the riding position information, and the drop off position information in association with one another. The percentage calculating unit calculates percentages of an operation fare for the operation to be paid by the individual users. The fare calculating unit calculates amounts to be paid by the individual users.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No.14/839,423, filed Aug. 28, 2015, which claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C § 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-037375filed on Feb. 26, 2015, in the Japanese Patent Office (JPO), thedisclosure of both of which are incorporated herein in their entirety byreference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

Various example embodiments of the inventive concepts relate to paymenttechniques for a plurality of users who have shared a ride in a paidvehicle, such as a taxi, hired car, boat, helicopter, private plane,etc. Specifically, some example embodiments relate to techniques ofcalculating the percentages of fare to be paid by individual users whohave shared a ride in a paid vehicle in a case where the distancestraveled by the individual users are different.

2. Description of the Related Art

Hitherto, transportation using paid vehicles, such as taxis and hiredcars, has been utilized as a way of traveling. Transportation using paidvehicles is very convenient because it can provide services according toneeds of individual users, but the fares thereof are higher than thoseof public transportation such as trains and buses.

In the case of utilizing a paid vehicle such as a taxi or hired car, thefare per user can be reduced as the number of users who share a ride inthe paid vehicle increases. In particular, in a case where a pluralityof users travel to the same destination, there is a high demand forsharing a ride in the paid vehicle.

Regarding a method for sharing a ride in a paid vehicle described above,the following technique has been developed in which the fares to be paidby individual users are calculated in accordance with riding positionsand destinations of the individual users that have been reported by theindividual users to a taxi driver or a taxi dispatch center. The ridingpositions and destinations of the individual users are informed by theindividual users to the taxi driver or the taxi dispatch center orallyor through the input of characters.

However, several issues exists with this technique. For example, eachuser has to set a destination in advance and input it by characters inorder to inform the taxi driver or the taxi dispatch center of theriding position and destination through input of characters. In the casewhere each user orally informs the taxi driver of the riding positionand destination, the taxi driver needs to inform the taxi dispatchcenter of the riding positions and destinations of the individual users,which may increase the burden on the taxi driver and result in mistakesmade for various reasons, including because the taxi driver forgot toreport the information to the taxi dispatch center, there was amisunderstanding and/or miscommunication between the passengers and thetaxi driver and/or the taxi dispatch center, or the like. Further, evenin the case where the distance traveled by a shared ride is longer thannecessary compared to the distance traveled without a shared ride, thepercentage of fare to be paid by each user is determined simply inaccordance with the distance traveled by the user, and thus the fare isnot fairly divided.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, some example embodiments provide server devices thatcalculate a shared-ride section without increasing the burden on usersand a driver of a paid vehicle and that calculate the percentages offare to be paid by the individual users who have shared a ride inaccordance with the distances traveled by the individual users, and alsoprovide communication terminals that communicate with the serverdevices.

A server device according to at least one example embodiment may includea memory having computer readable instructions stored thereon, and atleast one processor configured to execute the computer readableinstructions to obtain operation identification information foridentifying an operation of a vehicle and user identificationinformation for identifying a plurality of users who utilize theoperation, specify, in accordance with distances between the vehicle andcommunication terminals of the plurality of users, riding positioninformation and drop off position information on individuals of theplurality of users, store the operation identification information, theuser identification information, the riding position information, andthe drop off position information in association with one another,calculate, in accordance with the riding position information and thedrop off position information on individuals of the plurality of users,percentages of an operation fare for the operation to be paid byindividuals of the plurality of users, and calculate, in accordance withthe percentages and the operation fare for the operation, amounts to bepaid by individuals of the plurality of users.

According to at least one example embodiment, the at least one processormay be further configured to calculate the percentages in accordancewith distances that would be traveled by individuals of the plurality ofusers if each of the plurality of users independently utilizes thevehicle from a position represented by the riding position informationto a position represented by the drop off position information.

According to at least one example embodiment, the at least one processormay be further configured calculate the percentages in accordance withdistances that have actually been traveled by individuals of theplurality of users utilizing the vehicle or periods of time that haveactually been spent traveling the distances.

According to at least one example embodiment, the at least one processormay be further configured to specify the riding position information andthe drop off position information through near field wirelesscommunication between the vehicle and the communication terminals.

According to at least one example embodiment, the at least one processormay be further configured to notify the communication terminals of theamounts.

A communication terminal according to at least one example embodimentmay include a memory having computer readable instructions storedthereon, and at least one processor configured to execute the computerreadable instructions to receive operation identification informationfor identifying an operation of a vehicle that is operated in responseto an operation request, specify, in accordance with a distance betweenthe vehicle and a communication terminal of a user who rides thevehicle, riding position information and drop off position informationon the user, and receive information representing an amount to be paidby the user, the amount being calculated in accordance with the ridingposition information, the drop off position information, and anoperation fare for the operation.

According to at least one example embodiment, the at least one processormay be further configured to specify the riding position information andthe drop off position information through near field wirelesscommunication between the vehicle and the communication terminal of theuser.

According to at least one example embodiment, the at least one processormay be further configured to receive operation fare informationincluding information representing the operation fare from the vehicle,and transmit the received operation fare information to a server device.

According to at least one example embodiment, a non-transitory computerreadable medium may be provided that has stored thereon a computerprogram for causing a computer to operate as the communication terminal.

According to a server device, a communication terminal, and/or anon-transitory computer readable medium for the communication terminalaccording to some example embodiments, it is possible to provide aserver device that calculates a shared-ride section without increasingthe burden on users and a driver of a paid vehicle and that calculatesthe percentages of fare to be paid by the individual users who haveshared a ride in accordance with the distances traveled by theindividual users, and a communication terminal that communicates withthe server device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features of inventive concepts will be apparentfrom the more particular description of non-limiting example embodimentsof inventive concepts, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich like reference characters refer to like parts throughout thedifferent views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasisinstead being placed upon illustrating principles of inventive concepts.In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a shared-ride farecalculation system according to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an overview of a shared-ride farecalculation system according to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration ofcalculation server that is used in a shared-ride fare calculation systemaccording to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the hardware configuration ofa communication terminal that is used in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the hardware configuration ofa vehicle that is used in a shared-ride fare calculation systemaccording to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of acalculation server that is used in a shared-ride fare calculation systemaccording to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of acommunication terminal that is used in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of acommunication terminal that is used in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating an operation flow of ashared-ride fare calculation system according to at least one exampleembodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interface that isdisplayed on a user terminal at startup of a program for a shared-ridefare calculation system in an operation flow of a shared-ride farecalculation system according to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interface that isdisplayed on a user terminal at startup of a program for a shared-ridefare calculation system in an operation flow of a shared-ride farecalculation system according to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interface for userregistration in an operation flow of a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interface for userregistration in an operation flow of a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interface forinputting a riding position in an operation flow of a shared-ride farecalculation system according to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interface fordetermining agreement to transmission of user information in anoperation flow of a shared-ride fare calculation system according to atleast one example embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that isdisplayed after an operation request signal has been transmitted in anoperation flow of a shared-ride fare calculation system according to atleast one example embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that isdisplayed when a vehicle is approaching for pick-up in an operation flowof a shared-ride fare calculation system according to at least oneexample embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that isdisplayed when a vehicle arrives at a position of a user terminal in anoperation flow of a shared-ride fare calculation system according to atleast one example embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a calculation methodfor a calculation server that is used in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determiningwhether a user has gotten in or gotten out of a vehicle in a shared-ridefare calculation system according to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determiningwhether a user has gotten in or gotten out of a vehicle in a shared-ridefare calculation system according to a modification example of at leastone example embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determiningwhether a user has gotten in or gotten out of a vehicle in a shared-ridefare calculation system according to a modification example of at leastone example embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determiningwhether a user has gotten in or gotten out of a vehicle in a shared-ridefare calculation system according to a modification example of at leastone example embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determiningwhether a user has gotten in or gotten out of a vehicle in a shared-ridefare calculation system according to a modification example of at leastone example embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a calculation methodfor a calculation server that is used in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to a modification example of at least one exampleembodiment.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determiningwhether a user has gotten in or gotten out of a vehicle in a shared-ridefare calculation system according to a modification example of at leastone example embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determiningwhether a user has gotten in or gotten out of a vehicle in a shared-ridefare calculation system according to a modification example of at leastone example embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration ofa communication terminal that is used in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration ofa communication terminal that is used in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various example embodiments will now be described more fully withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which some exampleembodiments are shown. Example embodiments, may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as being limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these example embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the scope of example embodiments of inventive concepts tothose of ordinary skill in the art. In the drawings, the thicknesses oflayers and regions are exaggerated for clarity. Like referencecharacters and/or numerals in the drawings denote like elements, andthus their description may be omitted.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being“connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directlyconnected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyconnected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are nointervening elements present. Other words used to describe therelationship between elements or layers should be interpreted in a likefashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus“directly adjacent,” “on” versus “directly on”). As used herein the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”, etc.may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections. These elements, components, regions, layersand/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms areonly used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer orsection from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus,a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed belowcould be termed a second element, component, region, layer or sectionwithout departing from the teachings of example embodiments.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of exampleembodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and/or “including,” if usedherein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presenceor addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components and/or groups thereof. Expressions such as “atleast one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire listof elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. Itwill be further understood that terms, such as those defined incommonly-used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaningthat is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant artand will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal senseunless expressly so defined herein.

Hereinafter, calculation servers (e.g., server devices), communicationterminals, and/or a software programs for the communication terminalsaccording to some example embodiment will be described with reference tothe drawings. Note that the calculation server, the communicationterminal, and the program for the communication terminal may beimplemented by various example embodiments and are not limited by thedescription of the example embodiments given below.

In the following description, a user utilizes a paid vehicle, such as ataxi, hired car, boat, helicopter, private plane, etc. However, the usercarries a communication terminal of the user (user terminal) whilemoving around, and thus the user and the user terminal are not clearlydistinguished from each other. For example, in a case where the userutilizes a paid vehicle, an expression “a user terminal utilizes a paidvehicle” may be used because the user carries the user terminal. Thisexpression has the same meaning as “a user carrying a user terminalutilizes a paid vehicle”. Likewise, utilization of a vehicle dispatchservice by a user may be expressed by utilization of a vehicle dispatchservice by a user terminal.

In the example embodiments of the inventive concepts, a description willbe given of an example of a shared-ride fare calculation system using avehicle the fare of which changes depending on a distance traveledand/or a period of time spent on a ride, such as a taxi or hired car,but the embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, at least oneexample embodiment is applicable to other transportation such asboats/ships, airplanes, helicopters, etc.

A shared-ride fare calculation system and a shared-ride fare calculationsystem including a program for calculating a shared-ride fare accordingto at least one example embodiment will be described in detail withreference to FIGS. 1 to 20 .

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a shared-ride farecalculation system according to at least one example embodiment. FIG. 2is a block diagram illustrating an overview of a shared-ride farecalculation system according to at least one example embodiment. Asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 , a shared-ride fare calculation system 10according to at least one example embodiment includes a calculationserver 110, a dispatch server 120, and a social networking service (SNS)server 130 (hereinafter simply referred to as an “SNS server 130”). Asillustrated in FIG. 1 , the calculation server 110 and the SNS server130 communicate with a plurality of user terminals 200A and 200B, andthe dispatch server 120 communicates with a vehicle 300. Here, thevehicle 300 is a vehicle that has received an operation request from theuser terminal 200A. The vehicle 300 first picks up the user terminal200A and then picks up the user terminal 200B and travels toward adestination with the user terminals 200A and 200B sharing a ride.

Hereinafter, the user terminals 200A and 200B are simply referred to asuser terminals 200 when not explicitly distinguished from each other.The plurality of user terminals 200 may be at least communicationterminals connectable to a first network 101 illustrated in FIG. 2 . Theindividual user terminals 200 may have different functions. Examples ofthe user terminals 200 include mobile phones, smartphones, tabletpersonal computers (PCs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), personalcomputers (PCs), laptop computers, personal handy-phone systems (PHSs),portable gaming consoles, etc.

The calculation server 110 is a server that calculates the percentagesand amounts of an operation fare to be paid by the individual userterminals 200 that have shared a ride in the vehicle 300. Thecalculation server 110 may also be implemented as a plurality ofinterconnected servers that distribute processing and/or network trafficload to provide more efficient processing, greater network up-time, andgreater responsiveness to network requests. Here, the calculation server110 obtains operation identification information for identifying anoperation of the vehicle 300 and user identification information foridentifying a plurality of users who utilize the operation; specifies,on the basis of distances between the vehicle 300 and the user terminals200, which are communication terminals of the plurality of users, ridingposition information and drop off position information on the individualusers; stores the operation identification information, the useridentification information, the riding position information, and thedrop off position information in association with one another;calculates, on the basis of the riding position information and the dropoff position information on the individual users, percentages of anoperation fare for the operation to be paid by the individual users; andcalculates, on the basis of the percentages and the operation fare forthe operation, amounts to be paid by the individual users.

The operation identification information is identification informationthat is assigned to each of a plurality of vehicles 300 for eachservice. Specific examples of the operation identification informationinclude an order sheet that is issued for a service and an operation logfor a service. The user identification information is, for example,identification information for identifying the user terminal 200A andthe user terminal 200B. Specific examples of the user identificationinformation include device-specific information held by each userterminal 200 and a user identifier (ID) that is managed by the SNSserver 130 and is used in a service specific to each of the userterminals 200A and 200B.

The dispatch server 120 is a server installed in a dispatch center, orother location, that provides a pick-up instruction to the vehicle 300in response to an operation request, and manages position informationand operation information on the vehicle 300. Here, the operationinformation includes the above-described operation identificationinformation and operation fare information. The operation informationmay also include user identification information. The dispatch server120 may manage the operation information in an analog manner or digitalmanner. Analog management is a management method in which the driver ofthe vehicle 300 takes order sheets created for individual operations ofthe vehicle 300 and receipts of operation fares recorded on a fare meterto the dispatch center (the operation fare may include driver tipamount, tax amount, fee amount, etc., as well), and a staff of thedispatch center stores the order sheets and receipts in a database ofthe dispatch server 120. On the other hand, digital management is amanagement method in which operation identification information on thevehicle 300 corresponding to order sheets and/or operation fareinformation corresponding to receipts is transmitted from the vehicle300 to the dispatch server 120 through wireless communication and theinformation is stored in the database. The dispatch server 120 may alsobe implemented as a plurality of interconnected servers that distributeprocessing and/or network traffic load to provide more efficientprocessing, greater network up-time, and greater responsiveness tonetwork requests.

The SNS server 130 is a server that provides an SNS service to the userterminals 200 and manages personal information on users who subscribe tothe SNS service and have the user terminals 200 (device-specificinformation on a user terminal, name, phone number, credit cardinformation, email address, residential address, age, sex, user ID,photo, and so forth). The SNS server 130 may also be implemented as aplurality of interconnected servers that distribute processing and/ornetwork traffic load to provide more efficient processing, greaternetwork up-time, and greater responsiveness to network requests.

While the calculation server 110, dispatch server 120, and SNS server130 are depicted as separate servers in FIG. 1 , according to someexample embodiments, the functions of two or more of these servers maybe integrated into one or more servers.

Here, the plurality of user terminals 200 and/or the vehicle 300 has aposition specifying unit. As the position specifying unit, a globalpositioning system (GPS), assisted GPS (A-GPS), GLONASS, mobile phonebase station and/or Wi-Fi access point triangulation, dead-reckoning,etc., may be used, for example. In the shared-ride fare calculationsystem 10, position information on the plurality of user terminals 200is transmitted to the calculation server 110, whereas positioninformation on the vehicle 300 is transmitted to the dispatch server120. Position information on a destination 400 is information that isinput by any one of the plurality of user terminals 200. The positioninformation on the destination 400 is transmitted from the user terminal200 that has input the position information to the calculation server110. Another example of the position specifying unit may be near fieldwireless communication, or other wireless communication types, inaddition to the GPS. The details of the near field wirelesscommunication will be described below.

In at least one example embodiment, a description is given of aconfiguration in which the calculation server 110, the dispatch server120, and the SNS server 130 are separated from one another, but theconfiguration is not limited thereto. For example, the calculationserver 110 may have a function of the dispatch server 120 and/or the SNSserver 130. That is, the function of the calculation server 110, thefunction of the dispatch server 120, and the function of the SNS server130 may be implemented by a single server.

The individual users of the plurality of user terminals 200 may be userswho are called “follow” or “friend” and have a relationship ofcontacting each other in the SNS service managed by the SNS server 130.In other words, the plurality of user terminals 200 have established arelationship in which at least a user is able to contact another user ina certain service in which the plurality of user terminals 200 areregistered. Here, a description is given of a configuration in which theplurality of user terminals 200 have a relationship of contacting oneanother, but the configuration is not limited thereto. That is, theplurality of user terminals 200 do not necessarily have theabove-described relationship. In that case, the SNS server 130 may beomitted in FIG. 1 and/or not accessed during operation.

The individual users of the plurality of user terminals 200 may be usershaving a relationship of “friend” in the SNS service managed by the SNSserver 130. In other words, the plurality of user terminals 200 haveestablished a relationship in which the users are approved by oneanother in a certain service in which the plurality of user terminals200 are registered, such as a social media service, instant messagingservice, chat service, videochat service, phone service, VoIP service,email service, online gaming service, shared-ride service, etc. Therelationship in which the users are approved by one another is arelationship in which the existence of one another is recognized, andalso is a relationship that has been established by transmitting arequest for establishing a relationship of friend from a user andaccepting the request by the other user. Here, a description is given ofa configuration in which the plurality of user terminals 200 haveestablished a relationship in which the plurality of user terminals 200are approved by one another, but the configuration is not limitedthereto. That is, in the shared-ride fare calculation system 10, theplurality of user terminals 200 do not necessarily have theabove-described relationship. In that case, the SNS server 130 may beomitted in FIG. 1 .

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the calculation server 110, the dispatchserver 120, the SNS server 130, and the plurality of user terminals 200are connected to one another via the first network 101. The dispatchserver 120 and the vehicle 300 are connected to each other via a secondnetwork 102. The calculation server 110, the dispatch server 120, andthe SNS server 130 include databases (DBs) 115, 125, and 135,respectively. A typical IP network may be used as the first network 101.An in-vehicle wireless network, a local network, and/or direct wirelesscommunication (e.g., IR communications, etc.) may be used as the secondnetwork 102.

The DB 115 of the calculation server 110 stores operation identificationinformation, user identification information, and riding positioninformation and drop off position information on a plurality of users.The operation identification information, user identificationinformation, riding position information and drop off positioninformation on a plurality of users stored in the DB 115 are associatedwith one another. The DB 115 may also store additional information, suchas seat position, seat type, ride type (e.g., premium rides, priorityrides, express rides, special request rides), etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration in which the dispatch server 120 andthe vehicle 300 are connected to each other via the second network 102,but the configuration is not limited thereto. For example, the vehicle300 may be connected to the dispatch server 120 via the first network101. Also, FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration in which the calculationserver 110, the dispatch server 120, and the SNS server 130 are directlyconnected to the DBs 115, 125, and 135, respectively, but theconfiguration is not limited thereto. For example, the DBs 115, 125, and135 may be connected to the first network 101. That is, cloud computingfor storing data via a network may be used instead of the DBs 115, 125,and 135.

The DB 115 connected to the calculation server 110 or the DB 135connected to the SNS server 130 stores personal information on users whohave the user terminals 200 (e.g., device-specific information, name,phone number, credit card information, email address, residentialaddress, age, sex, user ID, user photos, driver photos, vehicleinformation, and so forth), assessment information on users who have theuser terminals 200 and the vehicle 300, road map information, trafficjam information, and so forth. The individual items included in thepersonal information on the users of the user terminals 200 are storedin association with one another.

The DB 125 connected to the dispatch server 120 stores a vehicle type,vehicle number, driver information (e.g., name, mobile phone number,age, sex, driver photo, vehicle license information, vehicle insuranceinformation, qualification information, etc.), service status such asvacant, out of service, pick up, and in service, and positioninformation on the vehicle 300.

The DB 135 connected to the SNS server 130 stores a user ID of a userwho utilizes the SNS service provided by the SNS server 130,device-specific information on the user terminal held by the user, alist of other users having a relationship of contacting the user (friendlist), and so forth. In a case where the SNS server 130 has a paymentsystem in the SNS service, the DB 135 may further store informationregistered in the payment system, such as credit card information, bankaccount information, wire account information, digital currencyinformation (e.g., crypto-currency), etc.

Hardware Configuration of Calculation Server

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of acalculation server that is used in a shared-ride fare calculation systemaccording to at least one example embodiment. According to FIG. 3 , thecalculation server 110 includes a control unit 111, a hard disk 112, anda communication device 113.

The control unit 111 includes at least one central processing unit (CPU)and at least one storage device such as registers, memory, SSD, harddisk, etc. The control unit 111 executes, with the CPU, a program (e.g.,computer readable instructions) and data stored in the memory and/or thehard disk 112, and performs arithmetic processing in accordance with theprogram and/or executes the computer readable instructions, therebytransforming the control unit 111/CPU into a special purpose processor.

The hard disk 112 is a storage device capable of storing a large amountof data. The hard disk 112 stores a program that is used for arithmeticprocessing or the like, and temporarily stores information transmittedfrom the user terminal 200. The hard disk may also be a solid-statedrive, a non-volatile memory device, etc.

The communication device 113 controls transmission of data to andreception of data over various communications networks, such as theInternet, intranets, a WAN, a LAN, a PAN, a radio data network, awireless network, a wireless phone network, etc., including from thedispatch server 120, the SNS server 130, and the user terminal 200 viathe first network 101.

The storage device of the control unit 111 reads a program that is usedfor arithmetic processing from the hard disk 112 when it is necessary,and stores the program therein.

Hardware Configuration of User Terminal

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the hardware configuration ofa communication terminal that is used in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment. According to FIG. 4, the user terminal 200, which is a communication terminal used in theshared-ride fare calculation system 10, includes a memory 205, a controlunit 210, a near field wireless communication device 215, and acommunication module 220. Also, a display 230, an operation button 240,a speaker 250, and a microphone 260 are provided on one side of the userterminal 200. The display 230 may include a touch sensor, and theoperation button 240 is not necessarily provided. In a case where theuser terminal 200 does not have a phone call function, the speaker 250and the microphone 260 are not necessarily provided.

The memory 205 stores a program (e.g., computer readable instructions)that causes the user terminal 200 to implement a specific function,information specific to the user terminal 200, and personal informationon the user who has the user terminal 200.

The control unit 210 includes at least one processing device such as aCPU and at least one storage device such as a register, non-volatilememory, hard disk, SSD, etc. The control unit 210 executes, with theCPU, a program (e.g., computer readable instructions) and data stored inthe memory 205, and implements various functions of the user terminal200 in accordance with the program, thereby transforming the controlunit 210/CPU into a special purpose processor.

The near field wireless communication device 215 is a functional unitthat performs near field wireless communication using radio waves ofradio frequencies ranging from the megahertz band to the gigahertz band,and is capable of performing communication in a range of several metersto several tens of meters. Near field wireless communication iscommunication in which radio waves emitted from a radio wave source arereceived, and information specific to a communication device and variousinformation including a distance between the radio wave source and thecommunication device are transmitted. Examples of near field wirelesscommunication include a beacon, radio frequency identifier (RFID),Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), near field communication (NFC),etc. The near field wireless communication device 215 includes anantenna that receives radio waves emitted from a radio wave source and alogic circuit that analyzes the received radio waves in theabove-described near field wireless communication. Also, the near fieldwireless communication device 215 may include a logic circuit thatmodulates radio waves emitted from the radio wave source in order totransmit information specific to the user terminal 200.

The communication module 220 includes an antenna for wirelesslytransmitting and receiving signals, a radio-frequency circuit, amodulation circuit, and so forth. The communication module 220 connectsto a network and accesses the calculation server 110 under controlperformed by the control unit 210.

The display 230 may be constituted by a liquid crystal display, anorganic electroluminescence (EL) display, or the like. As the touchsensor, a resistive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, orthe like may be used. The user operates the user terminal 200 inaccordance with the content displayed on the display 230 to implementvarious functions. Additionally, the user may use a user input device(not shown) to interact with the user terminal 200, such as a keyboard,mouse, stylus, voice commands, gesture commands, etc., as well.

Hardware Configuration of Vehicle

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the hardware configuration ofa vehicle that is used in a shared-ride fare calculation systemaccording to at least one example embodiment. According to FIG. 5 , thevehicle 300 includes a near field wireless communication device 320 thatis provided in a vehicle body 310. The near field wireless communicationdevice 320 includes a radio wave source that emits radio waves to beused for near field wireless communication. Also, the near fieldwireless communication device 320 may include a receiving unit thatreceives radio waves that have been modulated by the near field wirelesscommunication device 215 of the user terminal 200, and an analyzing unitthat analyzes information specific to the user terminal 200 by using themodulated radio waves.

Functional Configuration of Calculation Server

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of acalculation server that is used in a shared-ride fare calculation systemaccording to at least one example embodiment. With reference to FIG. 6 ,individual functional blocks of the calculation server 110, asimplemented by the control unit 111, illustrated in FIG. 2 will bedescribed in more detail. According to FIG. 6 , the calculation server110 includes an identification information obtaining unit 170, aposition information specifying unit 172, a storage unit 174, apercentage calculating unit 176, a fare calculating unit 178, and anotifying unit 180.

The identification information obtaining unit 170 obtains operationidentification information and operation fare information from thedispatch server 120. As described above, the operation identificationinformation is information for identifying an operation of the vehicle300, and may be information transmitted from the vehicle 300 throughwireless communication or information based on an order sheet stored byan operator, or may be a combination thereof. The identificationinformation obtaining unit 170 obtains user identification informationfrom the user terminals 200. The user identification information isinformation for identifying a plurality of users who utilizes anoperation of the vehicle 300. In the case of FIG. 6 , the identificationinformation obtaining unit 170 obtains, as user identificationinformation, user IDs from the user terminals 200. The identificationinformation obtaining unit 170 may obtain, as user identificationinformation, user IDs in the SNS service managed by the SNS server 130,by communicating with the SNS server 130.

The position information specifying unit 172 specifies riding positioninformation (e.g., rides start information, or pick-up positioninformation) and drop off position information on the individual userterminals 200 on the basis of the distances between the vehicle 300 andthe individual user terminals 200. The riding position information anddrop off position information may be specified through near fieldwireless communication between the vehicle 300 and the user terminals200, or may be specified on the basis of information obtained by a GPS.The riding position information and drop off information may beexpressed as latitude/longitude coordinate information, street addressinformation, point-of-interest (POI) information, or the like.

The storage unit 174 stores operation identification information, useridentification information, riding position information, and drop offposition information in association with one another. These pieces ofinformation are read from the DB 115 connected to the calculation server110 and temporarily stored in the hard disk 112 of the calculationserver 110. However, the pieces of information are not necessarilystored in the hard disk 112. That is, the pieces of information may bestored in association with one another in the DB 115 connected to thecalculation server 110, and the calculation server 110 may performcalculation by referring to the pieces of information stored in the DB115.

The percentage calculating unit 176 calculates the percentages of a farefor the operation of the vehicle 300 to be paid by the individual usersof the plurality of user terminals 200 on the basis of the ridingposition information and drop off position information on the individualuser terminals 200. A specific calculation method for the percentagecalculating unit 176 will be described below.

The fare calculating unit 178 calculates the amounts to be paid by theindividual user terminals 200 on the basis of the percentages calculatedby the percentage calculating unit 176 and the operation fare for theoperation of the vehicle 300. The operation fare may include driver tipamount, tax amount, fee amount, etc., as well.

The notifying unit 180 notifies the user terminals 200 that have shareda ride of the amounts calculated by the fare calculating unit 178. Thenotifying unit 180 may also notify the user terminals 200 of, inaddition to the calculated amounts, information such as the date andtime of the operation, information on the users who have sheared a ride(name, phone number, residential address, and so forth), and riding/dropoff positions, operation routes, and payment statuses of the individualusers. In a case where the notifying unit 180 notifies a user of mapinformation representing an operation route or the like, the mapinformation may be displayed by using WebView in which each piece ofposition information is displayed on the corresponding user terminal200. The calculation result and the data transmitted to the userterminals 200 are stored in the DB 115. In a case where the userterminals 200 are notified of the above-described information by anotherserver or another system, the calculation server 110 does not need toinclude the notifying unit 180.

Although not illustrated, the calculation server 110 may include adispatch management unit in addition to the above-describedidentification information obtaining unit 170, position informationspecifying unit 172, storage unit 174, percentage calculating unit 176,fare calculating unit 178, and notifying unit 180.

In a case where the user terminal 200 transmits an operation request inthe shared-ride fare calculation system 10, the above-mentioned dispatchmanagement unit submits the operation request to the dispatch server120. The dispatch management unit may have a delay function so as tosubmit the operation request to the dispatch server 120 after a certainperiod of time has elapsed since transmission of the operation requestfrom the user terminal 200. Also, the dispatch management unit iscapable of receiving cancellation of the operation request from the userterminal 200 during the delay period. On the other hand, if theoperation request is not canceled during the delay period, the dispatchmanagement unit submits the operation request to the dispatch server120.

Further, the dispatch management unit may notify the user terminal 200of position information on the user terminal 200 while the vehicle 300is traveling to pick up the user, position information on the vehicle300, position information on a destination, traffic jam information,estimated time of arrival information, etc. Also, the dispatchmanagement unit may provide the user terminal 200 with a way of makingan inquiry (phone call or message) of the vehicle 300 while the vehicle300 is traveling to pick up the user. Also, the dispatch management unitmay provide the user terminal 200 that has utilized the vehicle 300 witha way of assessing the utilized vehicle 300. Also, the dispatchmanagement unit may provide the vehicle 300 utilized by the userterminal 200 with a way of assessing the user terminal 200. Theassessment results are stored in the DB 115. On the basis of theassessment results, the priority of the vehicle 300 utilized by the userterminal 200 or the priority of the user terminal 200 to be providedwith a service of the shared-ride fare calculation system 10 may bechanged.

Functional Configuration of Communication Terminal Making OperationRequest

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of acommunication terminal that is used in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment. With reference toFIG. 7 , individual functional blocks of the user terminal 200A of userA who makes an operation request among the user terminals 200illustrated in FIG. 2 will be described in more detail. According toFIG. 7 , the user terminal 200A, as implemented by control unit 210,that makes an operation request includes an operation request signaltransmitting unit 270, an identification information receiving unit 272,a position information specifying unit 274, and a fare informationreceiving unit 276.

The operation request signal transmitting unit 270 transmits anoperation request signal for requesting an operation of the vehicle 300to the dispatch server 120. The identification information receivingunit 272 receives, from the dispatch server 120, operationidentification information for identifying an operation of the vehicle300 operated in response to the operation request transmitted by theoperation request signal transmitting unit 270. As described above, theoperation identification information may be an operation log for eachservice transmitted from the vehicle 300 to the dispatch server 120through wireless communication, or may be information representing anorder sheet stored in the dispatch server 120 or the DB 125 by anoperator, or may be a combination thereof.

The position information specifying unit 274 specifies, on the basis ofthe distance between the vehicle 300 and the user terminal 200 thatutilizes the vehicle 300 operated in response to the operation request,riding position information and drop off position information on theuser terminal 200. Although the details will be described below, theriding position information and drop off position information may beinformation generated in accordance with a signal that is obtained fromthe near field wireless communication device that generates a signalwhen the distance between the user terminal 200 and the vehicle 300becomes a certain distance or less, or may be information obtained onthe basis of the distance between a position represented by positioninformation on the user terminal 200 and a position represented byposition information on the vehicle 300 that are obtained by a GPS orthe like.

The fare information receiving unit 276 receives informationrepresenting the amount to be paid by the user, the amount beingcalculated on the basis of the riding position information and drop offposition information specified by the position information specifyingunit 274 and the operation fare of the operation of the vehicle 300.

Functional Configuration of Communication Terminal Sharing Ride

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of acommunication terminal that is used in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment. With reference toFIG. 8 , individual functional blocks of the user terminal 200B thatshares a ride in the vehicle 300 operated in response to an operationrequest from the user terminal 200A among the user terminals 200illustrated in FIG. 2 will be described in more detail. According toFIG. 8 , the functional blocks of the user terminal 200B that shares aride are similar to those of the user terminal 200A of user A who makesan operation request, but are different from those of the user terminal200A in that the user terminal 200B does not include the operationrequest signal transmitting unit 270.

The user terminal 200B does not need to make an operation request andthus does not need to include the above-described operation requestsignal transmitting unit 270. Note that the configuration of the userterminal 200B is not limited thereto, and the user terminal 200B may ofcourse include the operation request signal transmitting unit 270.

Operation Flow of Shared-Ride Fare Calculation System

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating an operation flow of ashared-ride fare calculation system according to at least one exampleembodiment. With reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B, the operations of theindividual blocks of the shared-ride fare calculation system 10illustrated in FIG. 2 will be described in detail by using a flowchart.

First, a program for operating the shared-ride fare calculation system10 is started by the user terminal 200A (step S501). An example of aninterface displayed on the user terminal 200A at the startup of theprogram of the shared-ride fare calculation system 10 in step S501 isillustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11 . An interface 610 illustrated in FIG. 10is a setting screen in the SNS service provided by the SNS server 130.As illustrated in FIG. 10 , the interface 610 includes a vehicle icon611. With the vehicle icon 611 being selected, the program of theshared-ride fare calculation system 10 is started. The interface 610includes a plurality of tabs such as a friend list tab 612, a chat tab613, a timeline tab 614, and a more tab 615, etc., which are arranged ona lower side of the screen. A tab for starting the program of theshared-ride fare calculation system 10 may be arranged as one of theplurality of tabs.

Upon the vehicle icon 611 on the interface 610 being selected, aninterface 620 illustrated in FIG. 11 is displayed. The interface 620 isa top screen of the shared-ride fare calculation system 10. With arequest button 621 being selected on the interface 620, access from theuser terminal 200 to the calculation server 110 can be performed.

In the case of using the shared-ride fare calculation system 10 for thefirst time, an interface 630 for user registration illustrated in FIG.12 and an interface 631 for registering credit card informationillustrated in FIG. 13 may be displayed. The interface 630 has at leastfields for inputting the name and phone number of the user terminal 200.The interface 631 has at least fields for inputting a credit cardnumber, an expiration date, and a personal identification number, etc.

Subsequently, the user terminal 200A makes an operation request to thevehicle 300 (step S502). An example of an interface displayed on theuser terminal 200A when the operation request is made in step S502 isillustrated in FIG. 14 . An interface 640 illustrated in FIG. 14 is amap displayed by a WebView function, a map shown on a web browser, a mapintegrated into the user terminal software application, or the like. Theuser selects a riding position 600 on the map by using the user terminal200A. A riding position pin 641 serving as a mark is displayed at theselected riding position 600. Also, a riding position address 642 isdisplayed above the riding position pin 641. In the case of setting theselected riding position 600, a set button 643 is selected. Accordingly,position information representing the riding position 600 is set as ariding position of the user terminal 200A.

In FIG. 14 , a current real-time estimated time to arrival (e.g., 15min.) to be taken from the current position of the user terminal 200A tothe riding position 600 is displayed at the riding position pin 641.Also, a plurality of vehicles 644 managed by the dispatch server 120 aredisplayed on the map. The function of displaying the riding positionaddress 642, the time to be taken to reach the riding position 600, orthe vehicles 644 may be omitted, and may be provided as an optionalfunction.

If the set button 643 on the interface 640 illustrated in FIG. 14 isselected in step S502, an interface 650 for confirming agreement to thetransmission of the riding position 600 and information on the userterminal 200A to the calculation server 110 is provided, as illustratedin FIG. 15 . The interface 650 illustrated in FIG. 15 is a map that isdisplayed by the WebView function. On the map illustrated in FIG. 15 , aposition information pin 652 is displayed at a point 651 correspondingto the riding position 600 of the user terminal 200A. With an agreementbutton 657 being selected by the user terminal 200A, the riding position600 is transmitted from the user terminal 200A to the calculation server110.

The interface 650 illustrated in FIG. 15 is also provided with a userinformation confirmation field 653 showing user information (name, phonenumber, and so forth) on the user terminal 200, a user registrationcredit card/payment information field 654 showing credit cardinformation, electronic payment information, bank account information,wire transfer account information, digital currency account information,etc., registered in the shared-ride fare calculation system 10, a couponcode field 655 showing information on a coupon held by the user, adispatch center information field 656 showing information to be informedto the user terminal from the dispatch center, such as a charge for pickup, and a pick-up information field 658 showing an estimated time ofpick up. The interface 650 may have at least a function of confirmingagreement. The other functions may be omitted or may be provided asoptional functions.

As described above, upon an action of an operation request for theshared-ride fare calculation system 10 is performed by the user terminal200A, an operation request signal 552 is transmitted from the userterminal 200A to the calculation server 110. Additionally and/oralternatively, steps S501 and S502 may be performed by the user terminal200B.

Upon the operation request signal 552 transmitted from the user terminal200A being received by the calculation server 110, an operation requestsubmission signal 554 is transmitted from the calculation server 110 tothe dispatch server 120 (step S531). The operation request submissionsignal 554 transmitted from the calculation server 110 to the dispatchserver 120 in step S531 may be transmitted to the dispatch server 120after a certain period of time (delay period) has elapsed since theconfirmation of the operation request in step S502. During the delayperiod, the calculation server 110 may provide the user terminal 200Awith an interface 660 for accepting cancellation of the operationrequest illustrated in FIG. 16 .

Upon the operation request submission signal 554 being received by thedispatch server 120, a pick-up instruction signal 556 is transmitted toone of the vehicles 300 managed by the dispatch center (step S541). Instep S541, the dispatch server 120 obtains, via the second network 102of the dispatch center, information including position information onthe vehicles 300 managed by the dispatch center and service statuses ofthe vehicles 300 (vacant, out of service, pick up, in service, and soforth). On the basis of these pieces of information, the dispatch server120 specifies one of the vehicles 300 and transmits the pick-upinstruction signal 556 to the vehicle 300. If the vehicle 300 that hasreceived the pick-up instruction signal 556 is actually able to pick upa user, an acceptance signal 558 is transmitted from the vehicle 300 tothe dispatch server 120 (step S521).

Upon the acceptance signal 558 transmitted from the vehicle 300 beingreceived by the dispatch server 120, an acceptance notification 560 istransmitted from the dispatch server 120 to the calculation server 110(step S542). Upon the acceptance notification 560 being received by thecalculation server 110, a dispatch status notification 562 istransmitted from the calculation server 110 to the user terminal 200A(step S522). The dispatch status notification 562 includes information,such as vehicle information on the vehicle 300 that picks up the user(e.g., vehicle type, vehicle number, driver information, driver photo,service status, and so forth), and information representing the currentposition of the vehicle 300. The dispatch status notification 562 mayfurther include information representing an estimated time when thevehicle 300 will arrive at the position of the user terminal 200A thatwill ride the vehicle 300, an estimated time when the vehicle 300 willarrive at the destination 400, traffic jam information, and so forth.

The calculation server 110 may provide the user terminal 200A that hasreceived the dispatch status notification 562 transmitted in step S522with an interface 670 for making an inquiry of the vehicle 300 that willpick up the user, as illustrated in FIG. 17 . In a case where the userwants to make an inquiry of the vehicle 300 that will pick up the user,the user may use the interface 670 illustrated in FIG. 17 to make aphone call, send a text (not shown), and/or other message type, to thedriver of the vehicle 300. When the vehicle 300 that will pick up theuser arrives at the position of the user terminal 200A, an interface 680for notifying the user of the arrival of the vehicle 300 may beprovided, as illustrated in FIG. 18 .

The interface 680 illustrated in FIG. 18 may include an inquiry button681, which is used to connect the user terminal 200A to the mobile phoneof the driver of the vehicle 300 so as to enable a phone calltherebetween in a case where the user cannot see the vehicle 300 (taxi).With pressing of the inquiry button 681, a phone call from the userterminal 200A to the mobile phone of the driver of the vehicle 300 canbe automatically made. Additionally and/or alternatively, pressing ofthe inquiry button 681 may automatically make a phone call from themobile phone of the driver of the vehicle 300 to the user terminal 200A.The interface 680 may also include an estimated time of arrival 682 atthe destination 400, a confirmation number 683 indicating that the userterminal 200A is a terminal that has made the operation request, and adriver assessment 684.

In this way, the user terminal 200A gets in the vehicle 300 (step S503).After the user terminal 200A gets in the vehicle 300 in step S503, firstriding position information 564 representing the riding position wherethe user terminal 200A got in the vehicle 300 is generated and istransmitted to the calculation server 110 (step S504). The first ridingposition information 564 may be generated by the user terminal 200A onthe basis of a relative positional relationship between the userterminal 200A and the vehicle 300, or may be generated by thecalculation server 110 on the basis of the relative positionalrelationship between the user terminal 200A and the vehicle 300. Withthe first riding position information 564 generated in step S504 beingreceived by the calculation server 110, the calculation server 110obtains the first riding position information 564 (step S532). The firstriding position information 564 includes the user identificationinformation for identifying the user terminals 200A and 200B. Here, thefirst riding position information 564 includes a user ID held by theuser terminal 200A as the user identification information.

The vehicle 300 that has picked up the user terminal 200A moves to theriding position of the user terminal 200B and picks up the user terminal200B (step S511). After the user terminal 200B gets in the vehicle 300in step S511, second riding position information 566 representing theriding position where the user terminal 200B got in the vehicle 300 isgenerated and is transmitted to the calculation server 110 (step S512).The second riding position information 566 may be generated by the userterminal 200B on the basis of a relative positional relationship betweenthe user terminal 200B and the vehicle 300 or a relative positionalrelationship between the user terminal 200B and the user terminal 200Aon the vehicle 300. Alternatively, the second riding positioninformation 566 may be generated by the calculation server 110 on thebasis of the relative positional relationship between the user terminal200B and the vehicle 300 or the relative positional relationship betweenthe user terminal 200B and the user terminal 200A on the vehicle 300.With the second riding position information 566 generated in step S512being received by the calculation server 110, the calculation server 110obtains the second riding position information 566 (step S533). Thesecond riding position information 566 includes the user identificationinformation for identifying the user terminals 200A and 200B. Here, thesecond riding position information 566 includes a user ID held by theuser terminal 200B as the user identification information.

When the user terminals 200A and 200B and the vehicle 300 arrive at thedestination (step S505), the vehicle 300 drops off the user terminals200A and 200B (steps S506 and S513). After the vehicle 300 drops off theuser terminal 200A in step S506, first drop off position information 568representing the drop off position where the vehicle 300 dropped off theuser terminal 200A is generated and is transmitted to the calculationserver 110 (step S507). After the vehicle 300 drops off the userterminal 200B in step S513, second drop off position information 570representing the drop off position where the vehicle 300 dropped off theuser terminal 200B is generated and is transmitted to the calculationserver 110 (step S514).

The first drop off position information 568 may be generated by the userterminal 200A on the basis of a relative positional relationship betweenthe user terminal 200A and the vehicle 300, or may be generated by thecalculation server 110 on the basis of the relative positionalrelationship between the user terminal 200A and the vehicle 300. Thesecond drop off position information 570 may be generated by the userterminal 200B on the basis of a relative positional relationship betweenthe user terminal 200B and the vehicle 300, or may be generated by thecalculation server 110 on the basis of the relative positionalrelationship between the user terminal 200B and the vehicle 300.

The first drop off position information 568 and the second drop offposition information 570 transmitted from the user terminals 200A and200B are received (obtained) by the calculation server 110 (step S534).The first drop off position information 568 and the second drop offposition information 570 respectively include user identificationinformation for identifying the user terminal 200A and useridentification information for identifying the user terminal 200B. Forexample, a user ID held by the user terminal 200A is included, as theuser identification information, in the first drop off positioninformation 568, and a user ID held by the user terminal 200B isincluded, as the user identification information, in the second drop offposition information 570.

When the vehicle 300 arrives at the destination in step S505, operationinformation 572 including operation identification information andoperation fare information is generated by the vehicle 300 and istransmitted to the dispatch server 120 (step S523).

Upon the operation information 572 transmitted from the vehicle 300being received by the dispatch server 120, operation information 574including operation identification information and operation fareinformation is transmitted from the dispatch server 120 to thecalculation server 110 (step S543).

Upon the operation information 574 transmitted from the dispatch server120 being received by the calculation server 110, the calculation server110 obtains the operation identification information and the operationfare information included in the operation information 574 (step S535).Subsequently, the percentages and amounts of the operation fare to bepaid by the individual user terminals 200A and 200B are calculated onthe basis of the operation identification information and operation fareinformation obtained in step S535 (step S536). Subsequently, acalculation result 576 obtained in step S536 (the calculated percentagesand/or amounts) is transmitted to the user terminals 200A and 200B (stepS537).

Upon the calculation result 576 transmitted from the calculation server110 being received by the user terminals 200A and 200B, each of the userterminals 200A and 200B determines whether to approve the calculationresult 576 (steps S508 and S515). If the calculation result 576 isapproved (YES in steps S508 and S515), approval information 578 istransmitted from the user terminals 200A and 200B to the calculationserver 110. On the other hand, if the calculation result 576 is notapproved (NO in steps S508 and S515), this operation flow ends and theprogram ends, or the screen moves to the top screen.

Upon the approval information 578 transmitted from the user terminals200A and 200B being received by the calculation server 110, thecalculation server 110 transmits an invoice 580 to the user terminals200A and 200B (step S538). The user terminals 200A and 200B performpayment for the invoice transmitted in step S538 (steps S509 and S516).

If the calculation result 576 is not approved in steps S508 and S515,the calculation server 110 may charge a single user, such as the userterminal 200A that initially requested the operation, the entire amountof the operation fare, may charge both users equally the amount of theoperation fare, or may charge the users using some other calculation.

In the above-described manner, a shared-ride section can be calculatedwithout increasing the burden on the user terminals 200A and 200B andthe vehicle 300, and the percentages of an operation fare to be paid bythe user terminals 200A and 200B that have shared a ride can becalculated in accordance with the distances traveled by the userterminals 200A and 200B.

Calculation Method for Percentage Calculating Unit

A calculation method for the percentage calculating unit 176 of thecalculation server 110 illustrated in FIG. 6 will be described in detailwith reference to FIG. 19 . A description will be given of an example inwhich the percentage calculating unit 176 in the shared-ride farecalculation system 10 according to at least one example embodimentcalculates the percentages of fare to be paid by the user terminals 200Aand 200B on the basis of the percentages of a ride of the user terminals200A and 200B in a route in which the user terminal 200A at a positionrelatively far from the destination 400 among the user terminals 200Aand 200B is picked up first and then the user terminal 200B is picked upto reach the destination 400.

The percentage calculating unit 176 obtains first riding positioninformation, second riding position information, first drop off positioninformation, and second drop off position information in steps S532 toS534 in the operation flow of the shared-ride fare calculation system 10illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B. On the basis of the obtained positioninformation, the percentage calculating unit 176 calculates a distanceDa between the riding position of the user terminal 200A and the ridingposition of the user terminal 200B and a distance Db between the ridingposition of the user terminal 200B and the destination 400. A firsttravel distance of a first section over which the user terminal 200A ison the vehicle 300 is represented by Da+Db, whereas a second traveldistance of a second section over which the user terminal 200B shares aride with the user terminal 200A is represented by Db.

In the example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 19 , the percentagecalculating unit 176 calculates, as a ride percentage, a percentage ofthe second travel distance (Db) with respect to the first traveldistance (Da+Db). Here, a description is given of a method forcalculating a ride percentage on the basis of the travel distances inthe first and second sections, but the method is not limited thereto.For example, a ride percentage may be calculated on the basis of asecond travel time spent traveling the second section with respect to afirst travel time spent traveling the first section. In other words, thepercentage calculating unit 176 calculates the percentages of fare to bepaid for the operation of the vehicle 300 by individual users on thebasis of the distances actually traveled by the users utilizing thevehicle 300 or the periods of time actually spent traveling thedistances.

The distances Da and Db are distances on a road map. For example, thedistance Da is a distance of a route from the riding position of theuser terminal 200A to the riding position of the user terminal 200B onthe road map. The distance on the road map is not a linear distancebetween two points but is a distance of a route along a road on a map.However, the distances Da and Db are not limited to distances on theroad map and may be linear distances between respective positions.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 19 , the percentage calculating unit176 calculates the percentages of fare to be paid for a route in whichthe user terminals 200A and 200B get in the vehicle 300 at differentpositions and are dropped off from the vehicle 300 at the samedestination 400, but example embodiments are not limited to this case.For example, the percentage calculating unit 176 may calculate thepercentages of fare to be paid for a route in which the user terminals200A and 200B get in the vehicle 300 at the same position and aredropped off from the vehicle 300 at different destinations. Additionallyand/or alternatively, the percentage calculating unit 176 may calculatethe percentages of fare to be paid for a route in which the userterminals 200A and 200B get in the vehicle 300 at different positionsand are dropped off from the vehicle 300 at different destinations. Forexample, the percentage calculating unit 176 may calculate thepercentages of fare to be paid for a route in which the user terminal200A gets in the vehicle 300 first, the user terminal 200B gets in thevehicle 300 next, and then the user terminal 200A is dropped off fromthe vehicle 300 first.

Method for Obtaining Riding Position Information and Drop Off PositionInformation on User

Now, a method for obtaining riding position information and drop offposition information on a user by the position information specifyingunit 172 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 20 . FIG. 20is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining whethera user has gotten in or gotten out of a vehicle in a shared-ride farecalculation system according to at least one example embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 20 , the vehicle 300 includes the near fieldwireless communication device 320 that generates a signal when thedistance between the user terminal 200B and the vehicle 300 becomes adesired first distance D1 or less. In a case where the vehicle 300includes the near field wireless communication device 320, the nearfield wireless communication device 320 may be provided in apoint-of-sale (POS) terminal provided in the vehicle 300 or acommunication terminal held by the driver.

When the distance between the user terminal 200B and the vehicle 300becomes the first distance D1 or less, the near field wirelesscommunication device 320 transmits an information signal specific to thenear field wireless communication device 320 to the user terminal 200B.That is, the user terminal 200B receives the information signal specificto the near field wireless communication device 320 from the near fieldwireless communication device 320 when the distance between the userterminal 200B and the vehicle 300 becomes the first distance D1 or less.After receiving the information signal specific to the near fieldwireless communication device 320, the user terminal 200B transmitsinformation indicating that the specific information signal has beenreceived to the calculation server 110. On the basis of the specificinformation signal, the position information specifying unit 172 of thecalculation server 110 determines that the user terminal 200B has gottenin the vehicle 300 or the user terminal 200B has gotten out of thevehicle 300.

The position information specifying unit 172 obtains the positioninformation representing the position where the user terminal 200B gotin the vehicle 300 in the above-described manner, and thereby obtainsthe second riding position information representing the riding positionof the user terminal 200B into the vehicle 300. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 20 , the user terminal 200B gets in the vehicle 300which the user terminal 200A is riding in. Thus, the second ridingposition information corresponds to a start position of a shared ride ofthe user terminals 200A and 200B.

As described above, according to the shared-ride fare calculation system10 according to at least one example embodiment, it is possible toprovide a calculation server that calculates a shared-ride sectionwithout increasing the burden on users and a vehicle driver and thatcalculates the percentages of fare to be paid by the users who haveshared a ride in accordance with the distances traveled by the users,and a communication terminal that communicates with the calculationserver.

An example according to at least one example embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 21 . FIG. 21 is a diagram illustratingan example of a method for determining whether a user has gotten in orgotten out of a vehicle in a shared-ride fare calculation systemaccording to at least one example embodiment. A shared-ride farecalculation system 11 according to FIG. 21 is different from theshared-ride fare calculation system 10 in that the user terminal 200Bincludes the near field wireless communication device 215 that generatesa signal when the distance between the user terminal 200B and thevehicle 300 becomes the desired first distance D1 or less.

The near field wireless communication device 215 transmits aninformation signal specific to the near field wireless communicationdevice 215 to the vehicle 300 when the distance between the userterminal 200B and the vehicle 300 becomes the first distance D1 or less.That is, the vehicle 300 receives the information signal specific to thenear field wireless communication device 215 from the near fieldwireless communication device 215 when the distance between the userterminal 200B and the vehicle 300 becomes the first distance D1 or less.Upon receiving the information signal specific to the near fieldwireless communication device 215, the vehicle 300 transmits informationindicating that the specific information signal has been received to thedispatch server 120. With the specific information signal beingtransmitted from the dispatch server 120 to the calculation server 110,the position information specifying unit 172 of the calculation server110 obtains, on the basis of the specific information signal, secondriding position information representing the riding position of the userterminal 200B into the vehicle 300 which the user terminal 200A isriding in. In the example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 21 , as in FIG.20 , the user terminal 200B gets in the vehicle 300 which the userterminal 200A is riding in, and thus the second riding positioninformation corresponds to a start position of a shared ride of the userterminals 200A and 200B.

An example according to at least one example embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 22 to 24 . FIG. 22 is a diagramillustrating an example of a method for determining whether a user hasgotten in or gotten out of a vehicle in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment. As illustrated inFIG. 22 , the position information specifying unit 172 of a shared-ridefare calculation system 12 determines that the user terminal 200B hasgotten in the vehicle 300 in a case where the distance between aposition represented by position information on the user terminal 200Band a position represented by position information on the vehicle 300 isa second distance D2 or less. The position information specifying unit172 obtains second riding position information representing the positionwhere the user terminal 200B got in the vehicle 300 on the basis of theposition information on the user terminal 200B or the vehicle 300 whenit is determined that the user terminal 200B has gotten in the vehicle300.

On the other hand, when the distance between a position represented byposition information on the user terminal 200B and a positionrepresented by position information on the vehicle 300 becomes largerthan the second distance D2, the position information specifying unit172 determines that the vehicle 300 has dropped off the user terminal200B. The position information specifying unit 172 obtains second dropoff position information representing the position where the vehicle 300dropped off the user terminal 200B on the basis of the positioninformation on the user terminal 200B or the vehicle 300 when it isdetermined that the vehicle 300 has dropped off the user terminal 200B.

Specifically, as in a riding determination 710 illustrated in FIG. 22 ,it is determined that the user terminal 200B has gotten in the vehicle300 when the vehicle 300 enters an area of a radius of the seconddistance D2 around the user terminal 200B. Also, as in a drop offdetermination 720, it is determined that the vehicle 300 has dropped offthe user terminal 200B when the vehicle 300 goes out of the area of aradius of the second distance D2 around the user terminal 200B.

Next, a description will be given of a function for further increasingthe accuracy of riding/drop off determination. FIG. 23 is a diagramillustrating an example of a method for determining whether a user hasgotten in or gotten out of a vehicle in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment. As illustrated inFIG. 23 , in a case where the distance between a position represented byposition information on the user terminal 200A and a positionrepresented by position information on the vehicle 300 is the desiredsecond distance D2 or less and in a case where the user terminal 200Aand the vehicle 300 are moving in the same direction, the positioninformation specifying unit 172 may determine that the user terminal200A is in the vehicle 300. On the other hand, in a case where thevehicle 300 is moving in a direction different from the user terminal200A as illustrated in FIG. 24 , the position information specifyingunit 172 may determine that the vehicle 300 has dropped off the userterminal 200A.

An example according to at least one example embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 25 to 27 . FIG. 25 is a diagramillustrating an overview of a calculation method for a calculationserver that is used in a shared-ride fare calculation system accordingto at least one example embodiment.

Calculation Method for Percentage Calculating Unit

As illustrated in FIG. 25 , the percentage calculating unit 176calculates the percentages of fare to be paid, on the basis of a firstestimated distance Ea from a first riding position 410 of the userterminal 200A (first user) that gets in the vehicle 300 first to thedestination 400 and a second estimated distance Eb from a second ridingposition 420 of the user terminal 200B (second user) that gets in thevehicle 300 after the user terminal 200A to share a ride with the userterminal 200A to the destination 400. The first estimated distance Ea isa distance that would be traveled by the user terminal 200A from thefirst riding position 410 to the destination 400 without sharing a ride,and the second estimated distance Eb is a distance that would betraveled by the user terminal 200B from the second riding position 420to the destination 400 without sharing a ride. In other words, thepercentage calculating unit 176 calculates the percentages of the fareto be paid by the individual user terminals 200A and 200B on the basisof the distances that would be traveled by the user terminals 200A and200B if each of the user terminals 200A and 200B independently utilizesthe vehicle 300 from a riding position to a drop off position. The firstestimated distance Ea and the second estimated distance Eb are distanceson the road map. The first estimated distance Ea and the secondestimated distance Eb are not limited to distances on the road map, andmay be linear distances between the positions.

Method for Obtaining Riding Position Information and Drop Off PositionInformation on User

Next, a description will be given of a method for obtaining first ridingposition information on the first riding position 410 and second ridingposition information on the second riding position 420 with reference toFIGS. 26 and 27 . Here, a description will be given of a case where thevehicle 300 includes the near field wireless communication device 320.FIGS. 26 and 27 are diagrams illustrating an example of a method fordetermining whether a user has gotten in or gotten out of a vehicle in ashared-ride fare calculation system according to at least one exampleembodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 26 , when the distance between the user terminal200A and the vehicle 300 becomes a desired and/or certain distance orless, the user terminal 200A receives an information signal specific tothe near field wireless communication device 320 from the near fieldwireless communication device 320. Upon receiving the specificinformation signal, the user terminal 200A transmits informationindicating that the specific information signal has been received to thecalculation server 110. On the basis of the specific information signal,the calculation server 110 determines that the user terminal 200A hasgotten in the vehicle 300. Accordingly, the position informationspecifying unit 172 obtains first riding position informationrepresenting the riding position where the user terminal 200A got in thevehicle 300.

As illustrated in FIG. 27 , when the distance between the user terminal200B and the vehicle 300 becomes a desired and/or certain distance orless, the user terminal 200B receives an information signal specific tothe near field wireless communication device 320 from the near fieldwireless communication device 320. Upon receiving the specificinformation signal, the user terminal 200B transmits informationindicating that the specific information signal has been received to thecalculation server 110. On the basis of the specific information signal,the calculation server 110 determines that the user terminal 200B hasgotten in the vehicle 300. Accordingly, the position informationspecifying unit 172 obtains second riding position informationrepresenting the riding position where the user terminal 200B got in thevehicle 300.

When the user terminals 200A and 200B and the vehicle 300 arrive at thedestination 400, the vehicle 300 drops off the user terminals 200A and200B, and the user terminals 200A and 200B become unable to receive aninformation signal specific to the near field wireless communicationdevice 320 from the near field wireless communication device 320, it isdetermined that the vehicle 300 has dropped off the user terminals 200Aand 200B. After that, the position information specifying unit 172obtains first drop off position information and second drop off positioninformation representing drop off positions where the vehicle 300dropped off the user terminals 200A and 200B.

In the case of utilizing a shared ride in the routes illustrated inFIGS. 25 to 27 , there is no difference in the distance traveled by theuser terminal 200B between the case of utilizing a shared ride and thecase of not utilizing a shared ride, but there is a difference in thedistance traveled by the user terminal 200A between the case ofutilizing a shared ride and the case of not utilizing a shared ride.That is, the distance traveled by the user terminal 200A is longer thannecessary in the case of sharing a ride with the user terminal 200B.With a shared-ride fare calculation system 13 according to at least oneexample embodiment, the percentages of fare to be paid can be fairlycalculated even in such a case.

As described above, according to the shared-ride fare calculation system13 according to at least one example embodiment, it is possible toprovide a calculation server that calculates a shared-ride sectionwithout increasing the burden on users and a vehicle driver and thatcalculates the percentages of fare to be paid by the users who haveshared a ride in accordance with the distances traveled by the users,and a communication terminal that communicates with the calculationserver. Further, in the case of moving to a destination by sharing aride, the percentages of fare to be paid can be fairly calculated evenin a case where the distance traveled becomes longer than necessarycompared to the case of moving to the destination without sharing aride.

Another shared-ride fare calculation system according to at least oneexample embodiment will be descried in detail with reference to FIGS. 28and 29 . The overview of the shared-ride fare calculation system, thehardware configuration of the calculation server, the hardwareconfiguration of the user terminal, and the hardware configuration ofthe vehicle are the same as those of the shared-ride fare calculationsystem 10, and thus the description thereof is omitted here. Accordingto this example embodiment, the user terminal 200 communicates with afare meter of the vehicle 300 and thereby receives informationrepresenting an operation fare from the vehicle 300. The user terminal200 may directly communicate with the fare meter of the vehicle 300, orthe user terminal 200 may communicate with the fare meter of the vehicle300 via the dispatch server 120 and/or the calculation server 110.

Functional Configuration of Communication Terminal Requesting Operation

A description will be given of a communication terminal that is used ina shared-ride fare calculation system 20 according to the secondembodiment and that makes an operation request. The functionalconfiguration of the user terminal 200A that is used in the shared-ridefare calculation system 20 is similar to that of the user terminal 200Athat is used in the shared-ride fare calculation system 10 according tothe example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 , but is differenttherefrom in including an operation fare information receiving unit 278and an operation fare information transmitting unit 280. The operationfare information receiving unit 278 receives, from the fare meter of thevehicle 300, operation fare information including informationrepresenting an operation fare. The operation fare informationtransmitting unit 280 transmits the operation fare information receivedby the operation fare information receiving unit 278 to the calculationserver 110. The operation fare information receiving unit 278 does notneed to directly communicate with the vehicle 300 or the fare meter ofthe vehicle 300, and may communicate with the vehicle 300 or the faremeter of the vehicle 300 via the dispatch server 120 and/or thecalculation server 110.

Functional Configuration of Communication Terminal Sharing Ride

FIG. 29 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration ofa communication terminal that is used in a shared-ride fare calculationsystem according to at least one example embodiment. With reference toFIG. 29 , a more detailed description will be given of the functionalblocks of the user terminal 200B that shares a ride in the vehicle 300operated in response to an operation request made by the user terminal200A, among the user terminals illustrated in FIG. 2 . According to FIG.29 , the functional blocks of the user terminal 200B that shares a rideare similar to those of the user terminal 200A of user A who makes anoperation request, but are different therefrom in not including theoperation request signal transmitting unit 270.

The user terminal 200B does not need to make an operation request andthus does not need to include the operation request signal transmittingunit 270. However, the configuration of the user terminal 200B is notlimited thereto, and the user terminal 200B may of course include theoperation request signal transmitting unit 270.

As described above, according to the shared-ride fare calculation system20 according to at least one example embodiment, it is possible toprovide a calculation server that calculates a shared-ride sectionwithout increasing the burden on users and a vehicle driver and thatcalculates the percentages of fare to be paid by the users who haveshared a ride in accordance with the distances traveled by the users,and a communication terminal that communicates with the calculationserver. Further, by allowing the fare meter of the vehicle 300 and theuser terminal 200 to communicate with each other, more efficient datacommunication can be performed.

The calculation server and communication terminal described above in theexample embodiments can be implemented by a program or application thatoperates a computer included in the calculation server and thecommunication terminal. The program or application can be downloaded tothe calculation server and communication terminal through Internetand/or other data communications and can be installed thereinto.Alternatively, the program or application can be installed into thecalculation server and communication terminal via a non-transitorycomputer readable medium.

The example embodiments as disclosed herein may comprise program codeincluding program instructions, software components, software modules,data files, data structures, and/or the like that are implemented by oneor more physical hardware devices. Examples of program code include bothmachine code produced by a compiler and higher level program code thatis executed using an interpreter. The hardware devices may include oneor more processors. The one or more processors are computer processingdevices configured to carry out the program code by performingarithmetical, logical, and input/output operations. Once the programcode is loaded into the one or more processors, the one or moreprocessors may be programmed to perform the program code, therebytransforming the one or more processors into special purposeprocessor(s).

Alternatively, or in addition to the processors discussed above, thehardware devices may include one or more Central Processing Units(CPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs),application-specific-integrated-circuits (ASICs), SoCs, fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), or the like. In at least some cases,the one or more CPUs, SoCs, DSPs, ASICs and FPGAs, may generally bereferred to as processing circuits and/or microprocessors.

The hardware devices may also include one or more storage devices. Theone or more storage devices may be tangible or non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media, such as random access memory (RAM),read only memory (ROM), a permanent mass storage device (such as a diskdrive), and/or any other like data storage mechanism capable of storingand recording data. The one or more storage devices may be configured tostore program code for one or more operating systems and/or the programcode for implementing the example embodiments described herein. Theprogram code may also be loaded from a separate computer readablestorage medium into the one or more storage devices and/or the one ormore processors using a drive mechanism. Such separate computer readablestorage medium may include a USB flash drive, memory stick,Blu-ray/DVD/CD-ROM drive, memory card, and/or other like computerreadable storage medium (not shown). The program code may be loaded intothe one or more storage devices and/or the one or more processors from aremote data storage device via a network interface, rather than via acomputer readable storage medium. Additionally, the program code may beloaded into the one or more storage devices and/or the one or moreprocessors from a remote computing system that is configured to transferand/or distribute the program code over a network. The remote computingsystem may transfer and/or distribute the program code via a wiredinterface, an air interface, and/or any other like tangible orintangible medium. The one or more processors, the one or more storagedevices, and/or the program code may be specially designed andconstructed for the purposes of the example embodiments, or they may beknown devices that are altered and/or modified for the purposes of theexample embodiments.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the example embodimentswithout departing from the spirit or scope of the inventive conceptsdescribed herein. Thus, it is intended that the example embodimentscover the modifications and variations of the example embodimentsprovided they come within the scope of the appended claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing method of aninformation processing apparatus communicating with a first terminal ofa first user riding in a vehicle and a second terminal of a second userriding in the vehicle, the information processing method comprising:acquiring, using at least one processor of the information processingapparatus, a first user input on a map included in a first graphicaluser interface from the first terminal, the first user input indicatinga desired first riding position; transmitting, using the at least oneprocessor, a real-time estimated time to arrive to the desired firstriding position by the vehicle based on the acquired first user input,wherein the transmitting causes the first terminal to display thereal-time estimated time to arrive on the map of the first graphicaluser interface; transmitting, using the at least one processor, aconfirmation message to the first terminal, the confirmation messageindicating personal information of the first user to be transmitted tothe vehicle; transmitting, using the at least one processor, the desiredfirst riding position and the personal information of the first user tothe vehicle in response to receiving an order request from the firstterminal; acquiring, using the at least one processor, at least firstriding position information, first drop off position information, secondriding position information, and second drop off position informationfrom the first terminal via a first network and the second terminal viathe first network, respectively, the first riding position informationincluding information of a position where the first user enters thevehicle and acquired based on a first wireless communication between anelectronic apparatus of the vehicle and the first terminal on a secondnetwork, the first drop off position information including informationof a position where the vehicle drops off the first user and acquiredbased on a disconnection of the first wireless communication between theelectronic apparatus and the first terminal on the second network, thesecond riding position information including information of a positionwhere the second user enters the vehicle and acquired based on a secondwireless communication between the electronic apparatus and the secondterminal on the second network, the second drop off position informationincluding information of a position where the vehicle drops off thesecond user and acquired based on a disconnection of the second wirelesscommunication between the electronic apparatus and the second terminalon the second network; receiving, using the at least one processor,operation information related to the first user and the second user froma dispatch server, the dispatch server receiving the operationinformation from the vehicle over the second network; calculating, usingthe at least one processor, information related to a first fare and asecond fare based on at least the first riding position information, thefirst drop off position information, the second riding positioninformation and the second drop off position information acquired fromthe first terminal via the first network and the second terminal via thefirst network, respectively, and the operation information received fromthe dispatch server, the first fare being a fare for the first useramong a plurality of passenger fares of the vehicle, and the second farebeing a fare for the second user among the plurality of passenger fares;transmitting, using the at least one processor, the information relatedto the first fare to the first terminal via the first network; andtransmitting, using the at least one processor, the information relatedto the second fare to the second terminal via the first network.
 2. Theinformation processing method according to claim 1, further comprising:receiving, using the at least one processor, the first riding positioninformation from the electronic apparatus or the first terminal; andreceiving, using the at least one processor, the second riding positioninformation from the electronic apparatus or the second terminal.
 3. Theinformation processing method according to claim 1, wherein theinformation related to the first fare is based on a distance traveledbetween the first riding position information and the first drop offposition information; and the information related to the second fare isbased on a distance traveled between the second riding positioninformation and the second drop off position information.
 4. Theinformation processing method according to claim 1, wherein the vehiclemoves to a position based on the first riding position information, aposition based on the second riding position information, a positionbased on the first drop off position information, and a position basedon the second drop off position information in this order; and theplurality of passenger fares are based on a distance traveled betweenthe first riding position information and the second drop off positioninformation.
 5. The information processing method according to claim 4,wherein a distance traveled between the first riding positioninformation and the first drop off position information is longer than adistance traveled between the second riding position information and thesecond drop off position information; and the first fare is moreexpensive than the second fare.
 6. The information processing methodaccording to claim 1, the method further comprising: calculating, usingthe at least one processor, the first fare based on a distance traveledbetween the first riding position information and the first drop offposition information based on the first user independently utilizing thevehicle, or calculating, using the at least one processor, the secondfare based on a distance traveled between the second riding positioninformation and the second drop off position information based on thesecond user independently utilizing the vehicle.
 7. The informationprocessing method according to claim 1, further comprising:transmitting, using the at least one processor, information related tothe plurality of passenger fares instead of information related to thefirst fare to the first terminal upon receiving information indicatingrejection of a payment for the second fare from the second terminal. 8.The information processing method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: transmitting, using the at least one processor, mapinformation to the first terminal and the second terminal, the mapinformation including at least an operation route.
 9. The informationprocessing method according to claim 1, wherein the first network isassociated with a social networking service (SNS).
 10. The informationprocessing method according to claim 1, wherein the second network isassociated with an in-vehicle wireless network.
 11. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium storing computer readable instructionsfor execution by an information processing apparatus communicating witha first terminal of a first user riding in a vehicle and a secondterminal of a second user riding in the vehicle, the computer readableinstructions causing the information processing apparatus to perform amethod comprising: acquiring a first user input on a map included in afirst graphical user interface from the first terminal, the first userinput indicating a desired first riding position; transmitting areal-time estimated time to arrive to the desired first riding positionby the vehicle based on the acquired first user input, wherein thetransmitting causes the first terminal to display the real-timeestimated time to arrive on the map of the first graphical userinterface; transmitting a confirmation message to the first terminal,the confirmation message indicating personal information of the firstuser to be transmitted to the vehicle; transmitting the desired firstriding position and the personal information of the first user to thevehicle in response to receiving an order request from the firstterminal; acquiring at least first riding position information, firstdrop off position information, second riding position information, andsecond drop off position information from the first terminal via a firstnetwork and the second terminal via the first network, respectively, thefirst riding position information including information of a positionwhere the first user enters the vehicle and acquired based on a firstwireless communication between an electronic apparatus of the vehicleand the first terminal on a second network, the first drop off positioninformation including information of a position where the vehicle dropsoff the first user and acquired based on a disconnection of the firstwireless communication on the second network, the second riding positioninformation including information of a position where the second userenters the vehicle and acquired based on a second wireless communicationbetween the electronic apparatus and the second terminal on the secondnetwork, the second drop off position information including informationof a position where the vehicle drops off the second user and acquiredbased on a disconnection of the second wireless communication on thesecond network; receiving operation information related to the firstuser and the second user from a dispatch server, the dispatch serverreceiving the operation information from the vehicle over the secondnetwork; calculating information related to a first fare and a secondfare based on at least the first riding position information, the firstdrop off position information, the second riding position informationand the second drop off position information acquired from the firstterminal via the first network and the second terminal via the firstnetwork, respectively, and the operation information received from thedispatch server, the first fare being a fare for the first user among aplurality of passenger fares of the vehicle, and the second fare being afare for the second user among the plurality of passenger fares;transmitting the information related to the first fare to the firstterminal via the first network; and transmitting the information relatedto the second fare to the second terminal via the first network.
 12. Aninformation processing method of a first terminal of a first user, thefirst terminal communicating with an information processing apparatus ona first network and an electronic apparatus of a vehicle on a secondnetwork, the information processing method comprising: receiving, usingat least one processor of the first terminal, a first user input on amap included in a first graphical user interface from the firstterminal, the first user input indicating a desired first ridingposition; receiving, using the at least one processor, from theinformation processing apparatus on the first network, a real-timeestimated time to arrive to the desired first riding position by thevehicle based on the received first user input, the receiving includingdisplaying the real-time estimated time to arrive on the map of thefirst graphical user interface; receiving, using the at least oneprocessor, a confirmation message from the information processingapparatus on the first network, the confirmation message indicationpersonal information of the first user to be transmitted to the vehicle;transmitting, using the at least one processor, an order request to theinformation processing apparatus over the first network, the orderrequest causing the information processing apparatus to transmit to thevehicle the desired first riding position and the personal informationof the first user to the vehicle; communicating, using the at least oneprocessor, with the electronic apparatus via a wireless communication onthe second network; and receiving, using the at least one processor,from the information processing apparatus on the first network at leastinformation related to a first fare between information related to thefirst fare and information related to a second fare, the first farebeing a fare for the first user among a plurality of passenger fares ofthe vehicle, the second fare being a fare for a second user among theplurality of passenger fares, the first and the second fares beingcalculated based on at least a first riding position information, afirst drop off position information, a second riding positioninformation, a second drop off position information, and operationinformation related to the first user and the second user transmitted bythe vehicle to a dispatch server over the second network, the firstriding position information including information of a position wherethe first user enters the vehicle and acquired based on a first wirelesscommunication between the electronic apparatus and the first terminal onthe second network, the first drop off position information includinginformation of a position where the vehicle drops off the first user andacquired based on a disconnection of the first wireless communicationbetween the electronic apparatus and the first terminal on the secondnetwork, the second riding position information including information ofa position where the second user of a second terminal enters the vehicleand acquired based on a second wireless communication between theelectronic apparatus and the second terminal on the second network, andthe second drop off position information including information of aposition where the vehicle drops off the second user and acquired basedon a disconnection of the second wireless communication between theelectronic apparatus and the second terminal on the second network. 13.The information processing method according to claim 12, furthercomprising: receiving, using the at least one processor, the firstriding position information from the electronic apparatus or the firstterminal; and receiving, using the at least one processor, the secondriding position information from the electronic apparatus or the secondterminal.
 14. The information processing method according to claim 12,wherein the information related to the first fare is based on a distancetraveled between the first riding position information and the firstdrop off position information; and the information related to the secondfare is based on a distance traveled between the second riding positioninformation and the second drop off position information.
 15. Theinformation processing method according to claim 12, wherein the vehiclemoves to a position based on the first riding position information, aposition based on the second riding position information, a positionbased on the first drop off position information, and a position basedon the second drop off position information in this order; and theplurality of passenger fares are decided based on a distance traveledbetween the first riding position information and the second drop offposition information.
 16. The information processing method according toclaim 12, wherein a distance traveled between the first riding positioninformation and the first drop off position information is longer than adistance traveled between the second riding position information and thesecond drop off position information; and the first fare is moreexpensive than the second fare.
 17. The information processing methodaccording to claim 12, the method further comprising: calculating, usingthe at least one processor, the first fare based on a distance traveledbetween the first riding position information and the first drop offposition information based on the first user independently utilizing thevehicle; or calculating, using the at least one processor, the secondfare based on a distance traveled between the second riding positioninformation and the second drop off position information based on thesecond user independently utilizing the vehicle.
 18. The informationprocessing method according to claim 12, further comprising: receiving,using the at least one processor, information related to the pluralityof passenger fares instead of information related to the first fare uponreceiving information indicating rejection of a payment for the secondfare from the second terminal.
 19. A non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium storing computer readable instructions, which whenexecuted by at least one processor of a first terminal of a first user,causes the at least one processor to: receive a first user input on amap included in a first graphical user interface from the firstterminal, the first user input indicating a desired first ridingposition; receive, from at least one server via a first network, areal-time estimated time to arrive to the desired first riding positionby a vehicle based on the received first user input, the receivingincluding displaying the real-time estimated time to arrive on the mapof the first graphical user interface; receive, from the at least oneserver via the first network, a confirmation message, the confirmationmessage indicating personal information of the first user to betransmitted to the vehicle; transmit, to the at least one server via thefirst network, an order request, the order request causing the at leastone server to transmit to the vehicle the desired first riding positionand the personal information of the first user to the vehicle;communicate with an electronic apparatus of the vehicle via wirelesscommunication on a second network; and receive at least informationrelated to a first fare between information related to the first fareand information related to a second fare from the at least one servervia the first network, the first fare being a fare for the first useramong a plurality of passenger fares of the vehicle, the second farebeing a fare for a second user among the plurality of passenger fares,the first and the second fares being calculated based on at least afirst riding position information, a first drop off positioninformation, a second riding position information, a second drop offposition information, and operation information related to the firstuser and the second user transmitted by the vehicle to a dispatch serverover the second network, the first riding position information includinginformation of a position where the first user enters the vehicle andacquired based on a first wireless communication between the electronicapparatus and the first terminal on the second network, the first dropoff position information including information of a position where thevehicle drops off the first user and acquired based on a disconnectionof the first wireless communication between the electronic apparatus andthe first terminal on the second network, the second riding positioninformation including information of a position where the second user ofa second terminal enters the vehicle and acquired based on a secondwireless communication between the electronic apparatus and the secondterminal on the second network, and the second drop off positioninformation including information of a position where the vehicle dropsoff the second user and acquired based on a disconnection of the secondwireless communication between the electronic apparatus and the secondterminal on the second network.
 20. The information processing methodaccording to claim 9, further comprising: obtaining, using the at leastone processor, user identification information corresponding to thefirst user and the second user from the SNS.